A RAFT of failings that led to the downfall of a centre for children with autism months after it opened, were discussed at a meeting.

Councillors called in to scrutinise the handling of the Hyfrydle residential facility in Denbigh said its management was “poor and inconsistent.”

Its planning was blasted as “inadequate” with “confused lines of accountability” by a working group whose findings went before the full council yesterday.

They recommended that senior officers review the future use of Hyfrydle facilities and establish how likely it will be to claw back Welsh Assembly funding.

Last year Denbighshire’s cabinet voted to close down the 52-week residential home sparking a fierce backlash with staff, parents and politicians.

Education minister Jane Hutt was forced to order inspectors to review the bombshell closure after major blunders were revealed in a damning audit report by the Wales Audit Office, which also flagged up serious issues with the running of education in the county.

The working group, made up of scrutiny members from lifelong learning and social services and housing backgrounds, was set up to establish factors that led to the facility’s demise and evaluate the merits of the cabinet’s decision.

They concluded that weak communication was the reason behind staff being appointed shortly before the centre shut.

They found there had been a “lack of continuity in management” and “insufficient in-house professional experience” regarding the development and management of a children’s home.

Councillors ruled that the cabinet had “no alternative” but to agree its closure due to the evidence available and a “lack of direction and communication” at the time.

Thousands of tax payers’ cash was ploughed into Hyfrydle which opened in November 2007 but it closed less than a year later.